Cam-actuated vise



April 16, 1957 I. F. ATKINS 2,788,688

CAM-ACTUATED VISE Filed June 25, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet l 52 /0 Fig.2 4 ,2

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- April 16, 1957 I. F. ATKINS 2,788,688

CAM-ACTUATEID VISE Filed June 25, 1955 Fig. 5

2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I: 78 @ZMW/W///A Fig. 6 30 28 Iris E Ark/'03 INVENTOR.

(WW9 FM United States Patent Q.

.CAM-A'CTUATED VISE Iris F. Atkins, Baytown, Tenn, assignor of one-half to Patrick H. Pettway, Tyler, Tex.

Application June 23, 1955, Serial No. 517,531 3 Claims. (CI. 81-25) This invention relates generally to bench vises and is more particularly concerned with a bench vise incorporating a readily adjustable and efiiciently operating camcarrying gripping-jaw assembly.

The primary object of invention in conformance with that set forth above is to provide a bench vise incorporating a cam-actuated movable .jaw assembly including means for readily securing .a .pivotal ,jaw member in a fixed position relative to a fixed jaw member, and including cam-actuated means for permitting relative free reciprocable movement between the fixed jaw and pivotal jaw members.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the novel bench vise;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the bench vise;

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, but shows an alternate position of the bench vise that permits free relative movement between the jaw members thereof; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary horizontal sectional view taken substantially on line 6-6 of Figure 3.

The novel bench vise is indicated generally at 10 and includes a fixed jaw member 12 and a movable jaw assembly 14, the fnred jaw member including a support base portion 16 of any suitable configuration, which may be secured by means of suitable fasteners 18 to a support surface 20, such as a workbench.

The fixed jaw member 12 includes an upwardly extending jaw portion 22 having a vertically extending workcontacting surface 26. The fixed jaw member includes a longitudinal guideway 28 which reciprocably supports therein a rack portion 40 of a movable carrier member 30 forming part of the movable jaw assembly 14. A gravity-actuated pawl 32 is pivotally supported on a horizontal pivot element 34 extending transversely of a recess 36 in the fixed jaw member, said pawl including a free end abutment or stop portion 38 which is engageable with a selected abutment tooth of the rack portion 40, the teeth of the rack being located on the top of the carrier member 30.

As seen in Figures 1 and 4, the rack portion 40 is defined by a longitudinally extending slot 42 which extends the length of the carrier member and between a pair of parallel rows of transversely aligned abutment teeth indicated at 44 and 46. Each of the abutment teeth of the rows 44 and 46 includes a vertical abutment surface 48 terminating in a rearwardly relieved or angular portion 59 intersecting an adjacent vertical abutment surface. Thus it is believed apparent that the movable jaw assembly 14 may be readily advanced by shifting the 2,788,688 Patented Apr. 16, .1957

rack portion 40 through the .guideway .28 of the fixed jaw member llinasmuch as the abutment end .38 .of the pawl 32 will readily be lifted by the relieved portion 50 of the abutment teeth, but the movable jaw assembly 14 may not be retracted, since that pair of aligned vertical abutment surfaces 48 in contact with the pawl 32 will prevent such retraction of the movable :jaw assembly 14 unless and until the pawl member 32 is raised to an inoperative position .by means hereinafter described.

The movable jaw assembly 14 in'addition to the carrier member 30, includes .a :pivotal jaw52 which includes .a lower bifurcated portion forming legs 54 and-56 which are pivotally supported on a horizontal pivot pin .58 extending transversely through .the carrier member, said bi furcated portion providing forwardly and upwardly .extending cam-abutting surfaces 6.0 terminating .at .a :substantially horizontal jaw portion 62. The jaw portion 62 has a substantially vertical work contacting surface 64 that corresponds to and confronts the surface 26 of the fixed jaw member, the two surfaces .64 and 2.6 providing means between which a workpiece may be gripped.

A rotatable camshaft .66 extends transversely through transversely aligned apertures in the .carrier member .30 in intersecting relationship to the longitudinal slot 42 and in parallel relationship to the pivot pin 58 of the pivotal jaw 52. The cam shaft 66 mounts a pair of spaced eccentric cam elements 68 which are .engageable with the abutment surfaces 60 'of the legs "54 and 56 of the pivotal jaw 52, said cam elements being operable (to the position shown in Figures 2 and 4) by counterclockwise rotation of the shaft 66 to pivot the jaw 52 toward the fixed jaw.

The cam elements 68 are rigidly connected to legs 70, of a U-shaped lever which has its bight formed by a transverse handle member 72.

Reciprocably received Within the longitudinal slot 42 of the carrier member 30 is a cam slide 74 which includes an upper surface portion 76 which is engageable with the abutment end 38 of the pawl 32, and which includes on its lower surface a pair of upwardly and rearwardly inclined cam surfaces 78 which are slidable upon a pair of spaced cam pins 80 which extend transversely of the slot 42. Thus movement of the cam slide 74 away from the cam shaft 66 results in the cam surfaces 78 riding upon the cam pins 80 and raising the cam slide 74 so as to disengage the abutment portion 38 of the pawl from the selected tooth of the rack 40, see Figures 4 and 5.

The cam shaft 66 is centrally notched out to provide a cam portion 82 which normally underlies a notched out portion 84 on a forward end of the cam slide 74 after the Ushaped lever has been rotated in the counterclockwise direction to its Fig. 2 (and Fig. 4) position, said notched out portion 84 providing an abutment 86 which is engageable by the cam portion 82 of the cam shaft 66 when the U-shaped lever is swung clockwise (to the position shown in Fig. 5) by its handle 72, said engagement moving the cam slide 74 away from the cam shaft 66 and lifting the pawl 32 from the rack 44) in the manner previously described.

Thus, it is believed readily apparent that there has been disclosed a highly utilitarian and efficiently functioning bench vise fully conforming with the objects of invention heretofore set forth.

Various positional directional terms such as front, rear, top, etc, are utilized herein to have only a relative connotation to aid in describing the device, and are not intended to require any particular orientation with respect to any external elements.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A cam-actuated vise comprising a fixed jaw including securing means thereon for attachment to a support, a movable jaw assembly, including a pivotal jaw reciprocably supported by said fixed jaw, said fixed and pivotal jaws including confronting work-gripping faces, said movable jaw assembly including an elongated carrier member extending through a guideway in said fixed jaw and supporting said pivotal jaw for reciprocable sliding movement, a gravity-actuated pawl pivotally supported on said fixed jaw and engageable with a selected abutment tooth on an upper surface of said carrier member, the abutment teeth including vertical abutment surfaces terminating in rear relief portions, the latter permitting said movable jaw assembly to be quickly advanced so as to shift said pivotal jaw toward said fixed jaw, and the vertical abutment surface of the pawl-selected tooth preventing retractive movement of the carrier member, said pivotal jaw being pivotally supported on a horizontal pivot element on said carrier member for pivotal movement of said gripping face toward and away from said work-gripping face of said fixed jaw, the pivotal jaw including a cam-abutting surface opposite said workgripping face, a horizontally rotatable cam shaft on said carrier member and having an eccentric cam element rotatable therewith and engageable with the cam-abutting surface of said pivotal jaw when rotated in one direction, and cam means on said carrier member operative to disengage said pawl from the vertical abutment surface of said selected tooth when said cam shaft is rotated in an opposite direction.

2. A cam-actuated vise as set forth in claim 1 wherein said carrier member includes an upper longitudinal slot, a pair of spaced cam pins extending transversely of said slot, the cam means on said carrier member comprising an elongated cam slide reciprocably received in the slot of said carrier member and including an upper edge engageable with the pawl for raising the pawl and thereby disengaging said pawl from said vertical abutment surface of said selected tooth, the cam slide including a lower cam surface engageable with the cam pins in said slot for raising the cam slide vertically upon sliding movement thereof away from said rotatable cam shaft, and cam-slide-engaging means on said cam shaft for so moving said cam slide away from said cam shaft.

3. A cam-actuated vise as set forth in claim 2 wherein the cam-slide-engaging means comprises a cam portion integral with the cam shaft, said cam portion being engageable with an adjacent end portion of said cam slide.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 375,538 Crawford Dec. 27, 1887 495,787 Deafenbaugh Apr. 18, 1893 FOREIGN PATENTS 19,598 Great Britain Sept. 29, 1899 

